Gate.



F. M. NEE-F.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 190B.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908. Z'SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

wit cacao 'rnl mamas PETERS in, WASHINGTON, at ::v

. F. M. NEFP.

. GATE.

. APPLIOATION FILED my 2, 190a. 7 902,438; Patented 0ct.27, 1908. 2SHEBTSSHEET 2..

UNITED STATES "PATENT oFFioE.

FRANCIS M. NEFF, OF MILFORD, INDIANA.

GATE

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. NEFF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milford, in the county of Kosciusko and State of Indiana,have invented new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gates, and particularly toswinging and folding gates for general farm and driveway use, theinvention residing in the use of a double gate structure adapted to befolded flat to extend in opposite directions beyond the hinging post andparallel with the gateway.

The objects of the invention are, first, to provide a gate of thischaracter which is staunch and rigid and adapted to effectuallywithstand the pressure of wind or animals without liability of beingforced open, and which, when opened, allows the full space of thegateway for passage of horses and vehicles and is held firmly againstclosing to any extent, thus preventing the possible liability ofaccidents or damages incident to the use of swinging gates which tend toswing backward; second, to provide a gate which is adjustable relativeto the ground surface; and, third, to provide novel operating mechanismfor opening and closing the gate, which mechanism may be actuated by arider or driver without the necessity of such rider or driver descendingfrom the saddle or seat of the vehicle.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a gate which is simpleof construction, easily operated and adapted to be economicallymanufactured, and to provide novel means for automatically locking thegate in open and closed positions and unlocking the same when theoperating mech anism is actuated to swing the gate from one position toanother.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of thefeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation showing thegate closed. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the inner adjustable side or plate of the hingingpost and the latch mechanism carried thereby. Fig. 4 is a view of one ofthe keepers on the latch post. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the gate inits open position. Fig. 6 is a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 2, 1908.

' front and rear portions 5 and 6.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908 Serial No. 430,543.

rear elevation of the hinging post and parts of the gate operatingmechanism. Fig. 7 is a view of the locking means for holding the gateclosed. Fig. 8 is a view of the means for raising and lowering the gate.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numerals 1 and 2respectively represent the latch and hinging post arranged at oppositesides of the gateway, the post 1 being provided with one or more U-shaped keepers 3 of the form shown in Fig. 4, having screw-threadedshanks to enter the face of the post. In accordance with my invention,the hinging post 2 is hollow from a point above the ground surface andhas stationary side portions 4 and adjustable The portions 5 and 6 arein the form of boards or plates provided with grooved guideways 7 toreceive guide flanges 8 on the portions 4:, by which said portions 4 and5, which directly carry the gate, are adjustable in a vertical plane toregulate the distance of the lower edge of the gate from the groundsurface.

The gate comprises an inner or rear pair of panels or sections 9 and 9and an outer or front pair of corresponding sections 10 and 10 Thesections 9 and 9 are hinged or pivoted to the adjustable portion 5 ofthe post, preferably by providing such sections at their inner or rearends with angle brackets 11 formed with eyes or knuckles 12 to engagepintles 13 on the plate 5. The respective sections 9 and 10 and 9 and 10of the gate are pivotally connected at their inner ends by pintle rods13 engaging the perforated ears of bracket plates 14 on such I gatesections, while the forward or free ends of the sections 10 and 10 aresimilarly connected by a pintle rod 15 engaging the apertured ears ofbracket plates 16 thereon. This rod 15 is adapted when the gate is inclosed position to engage and fit within the keepers 3 to connect thefree end of the gate with the latch post 1. By this construction it willbe observed that a type of double gate is provided in which the opposingsets of sections thereof lie when extended in a slightly bowed outwardor angular position, so that the closed gate will be staunch and rigidto efiectually withstand the pressure of the wind as well as thepressure of animals, the latch mechanism hereinafter described servingin connection with the pintle 15 engaging the keepers 3 to preventcollapse or swinging movement of the gate, so that it cannot be openedunder either of such pressures or until positively actuated by theoperating mechanism. Also it will be seen by reference to Figs. 1, 2 and5, in which latter the gate is shown in an open position, that the gatein opening is both swung outwardly in opposite directions and folded,the outer ends of the sections 9 and 9 swinging in re verse directionsbeyond opposite sides of the hinging post and parallel with the gateway, while the inner ends of the sections 10 and 10 swing outwardtherewith and the pivoted free ends of said sections swing inward, sothat when the gate is fully open the sections 10 and 10 will lierespectively parallel with the sections 9 and 9. As the gate is adaptedto be securely locked in such open position, it will be apparent that itwill leave the full space of the gateway open for the passage ofpedestrians, equestrians and vehicles and cannot partially move back,like some types of ordinary swinging gates, to constrict the gateway andto come in contact with and cause injury to horses and vehicles.

In order to prevent spreading of the gate sections when the gate isclosed, the sections 9 and 9 are provided with inwardly extending bars17 adapted to abut at their free ends, one of said bars being provided.with a lipped keeper 18 and the other with a pivoted bell crank latch 19having a hooked end to engage the keeper, the outer face of the lip ofthe keeper being beveled to per mit the hook of the latch to ride overand move into engagement therewith by gravity when the gatesectionsclose to a prescribed extent. This latch device is automaticallyoperated to release the gate sections when the operating mechanism isactuated, as hereinafter described to open the gate.

A tubular bearing sleeve 20 extends through the adjustable portions 5and 6 of the hinging post and projects in rear of the portion 6, andjournaled to rotate in said sleeve is a rod 21 projecting beyond bothends of the sleeve, which latter is reinforced within the post by abrace 22 carried by the section 5. An operating lever 23 isintermediately pivoted to the rear end of the sleeve 20 and is providedon its rear side with a brace rod 24 which is intermediately fixed tothe outer end of the rod 21. The lever normally stands in the positionshown in Fig. 6 at a slight angle to the horizontal and is connected atits ends to the rear ends of the inner gate sections 9 so as to impartthe opening and closing movements to said gate sections when the leveris swung to an arc of 180 in reverse directions. As shown, the bracket11 at the upper rear end of each 7 of said gate sections is providedwith a right angular arm 25 extending rearwardly in a plane parallelwith the gate sections when the latter is closed. Contractile springs 26and 27 are respectively connected at one end with the rear end of thelever 25 and the rear side of the lever 28 and are connected at theiropposite ends to each other through the medium of a pivotal connectionmember 28 on the outer end of the lever, said member 28 being in theform of a short supplemental rod or lever pivoted to swing in a plane atright angles to the operating lever. Each gate section 9 and 9 is thusconnected in a similar manner to the opposite ends of the lever 23 so asto communicate the corresponding motion to said respective gate sectionswhen the lever is swung in reverse directions, the crank arms 25 beingadapted in the opening movement of the gate to fold or swing against therear side of the outer adjustable post section (3. It will be observedthat each set of springs 26 and 27 is connected with the lever 23 insuch manner as to be expanded and placed under tension when the lever isoperated to open the gate, so as to compensate for and permit of therequired are of movement of said lever and at the same time pull uponthe associated crank arm 25 to communicate an opening movement to theassociated gate section connected therewith. l/Vhen the lever swingsbackwardly to close the gate, the springs contract and simultaneouslydraw upon the crank arms, their resistance to expansion being sufficientto insure a positive transmission of motion from the lever to the gatesection without the exercise of an unreasonable degree of power orforce.

A transverse rockshaft 29 is ournaled in a bearing 30 on the rear sideof the post section 6 and extends beyond the sides of the post and isprovided at its ends with crank arms 31 connected with the gate sections9 and 9 at a point in advance of the brackets 11 by links 32. hen thegate is closed the crank arms have an upward and forward inclination, asshown in Fig. 1, and in the opening movement of the gate such arms areadapted to swing upwardly and rearwardly, as will be readily understood.

Arranged upon the post section 5 is a pivoted latch having a hooked freeend to engage the inner pivoted end of the gate section 10 when the gateis folded. The

latch is adapted to drop by gravity to a horizontal or engaging positionand is limited in downward movement by a stop 34 carried thereby toengage the face of said post section 5. A latch controlling device 35comprising a bell crank lever is carried by the front end of the rod 21and has connected at one of its arms a cord or cable 36 passing oversuitable guide pulleys 37 on the gate section 9 and connected with thelatch 19, which is normally released and lies in engaging position whensaid lever is in the normal position shown in Fig. 3.

The other arm of the lever constitutes a striker to engage and retractthe latch 33, said striker having a pivoted section 38 adapted to swingin one direction against the resistance of a spring 39 and provided witha stop shoulder 40 to engage the striker arm, whereby its movement inthe reverse direction upon pressure of the spring is limited. Thestriker rotates in one direction or the other with the rod 21 as theoperating lever 23 is manipulated to simultaneously control the actionof both latches 19 and 33.

Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, itwill be understood that when the lever 23 is rotated a half revolutionto the left the elastic connections formed by the springs 26 and 27 willbe expanded and placed under tension, thus permitting the lever to haveits intended arc of motion while at the same time drawing inwardly inreverse directions on the two crank arms 25 to impart outward swingingmotion to the gate sections 9 and 9. Before such motion is communicatedto the gate sections, the rotation of the rod 21 will cause the striker35 to turn to the right in Fig. 3, whereby the arm of said strikerconnected with the cord 36 will elevate and retract the latch 33 andsimultaneously draw upon the cord 36 to retract the latch 19, thusfreeing the gate sections for the opening movement just prior to thetime the springs 26 begin to exert their pull on the crank arms 25. Atthe limit of movement of the striker, the cord operating arm will havepassed beyond the latch and the pivoted section 38 of said. latch.brought into engagement with the latch 33 to hold the latter elevated.As soon as out ard swinging motion is communicated in the mannerdescribed to the gate sections 9 and 9, the gate sections 10 and 10 willbegin to swing outwardly and rearwardly therewith, thus withdrawing therod 15 from engagement with the keepers 3, and at the same time themotion of the gate sections will be transmitted through the links 32 andcrank arms 31 to the rock shaft 29. which will thus equalize the pullingstrain upon the two gate sections 9 and 9 and cause them to move at thesame rate of speed in unison, thus overcoming any in.- equalities whichmay exist in thestrength and pulling powers of the sets of springs 26and 27. As the swinging motion of the gate sections is continued, thefree ends of the gate sections 10 and 10 will be caused to move acrossthe gateway toward the post 2, until, when the gate is fully opened, thesections 9 and 9 will extend in opposite directions beyond said postswith the sections 10 and 10 folded in a position parallel therewith, asshown in Fig. 5. Just prior to the cessation of the opening movement ofthe gate, the free end of the gate section 10 will engage and elevatethe latch 33 which will then drop into engagement with said gate sectionand thus lock the gate in open position.

Upon the movement of the lever 23 in the reverse direction, or back tonormal position, the elastic connections 26 and 27 will begin tocontract and finally draw upon the crank arms 25 to swing the gatesections 9 and 9 inwardly. As soon as the lever 23 commences itsmovement, the striker 35 rotates in the reverse direction, and, itspivoted section 38 being held rigid in such direction of movement,engages and elevates the latch 33, thus freeing the gate for the closingoperation. In this direction of motion of the parts the gate sectionsreturn to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the striker to theposition shown in Fig. 3, so that just after the rod 15 moves intoengagement with the keepers 3 the latch 19 will ride into engagementwith the keeper 18 and thus lock the gate in closed position.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the constructiondescribed provides a gate which may be easily operated and embodies theadvantages hereinbefore set forth.

Sets of cables or their equivalents 41 and t1 and 42 and 42 arerespectively connected with the opposite arms of the lever 23 foroperating the same from either side of the gateway to open or close thegate. These cables may extend any suitable distance beyond the hingingpost and be provided with any suitable connections for operation so thatthey may be manipulated by a pedestrian, equestrian or driver of avehicle without the necessity of such equestrian or driver leaving hissaddle or seat.

It is desirable under some conditions to bodily raise or lower the gateon account of inequalities of ground surface, the accumulation of snowor other interfering conditions to permit the gate to have free swingingmovement. To this end the gate and its operating parts are mountedsolely upon the adjustable post sections 5 and (S, and for convenientlyraising and lowering the same the section 5 is provided as shown in Fig.8 with rack teeth 4t3 engaged by a pinion 44 mounted on one of the sides4 of the hinging post. The shaft on which the pinion is mounted extendsto the exterior and has an angular end for the application of a crank torotate the same. On the shaft is a ratchet wheel 45 adapted to beengaged by a pawl 16 to maintain the parts in adjusted position.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is2- 1. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post, a gatecomposed of pivotally connectedv sections adapted to fold parallel withthe gateway, crank arms upon the gate, a swinging lever upon thesupporting post, elastic connections between said lever and the crankarms through which the motion of the lever is transmitted to the gate,and an equalizing connection between the parts of the gate for securinga uniform motion thereof.

2. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post, a gateformed of pivotally connected sections and adapted to fold to an openposition parallel with the gateway, crank arms upon the gate, a leverpivotally mounted upon the post for movement in reverse directions toopen and close the gate, and elastic connections between said lever andthe respective crank arms for transmitting the motion of the lever tothe gate sections.

3. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post, a gateformed of pivotally connected sections and adapted to fold to an openposition parallel with the gateway, crank arms upon the gate, apivotally mounted lever on the post movable in reverse directions toopen and close the gate, elastic connections between the crank arms andarms of the lever, and latch mechanism operated by the movements of thelever for locking the gate in open and closed positions.

a. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post, a gatecomposed of pivotally connected sections adapted to fold parallel. withthe gateway, crank arms upon the gate, a swinging lever upon thesupporting post, springs connected with the crank arms, springsconnected with the arms of the lever, and connections between the setsof springs.

5. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post, a gatecomposed of pivotally connected sections adapted to fold parallel withthe gateway, crank arms upon the gate, a swinging lever upon thesupporting post, elastic connections between said crank arms and thearms of the lever, a rock shaft upon the post provided with crank arms,and equalizing links connecting said crank arms of the rock shaft withthe gate in advance of the first-named crank arm.

6. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post, a gatecomposed of pivotally connected sections adapted to fold parallel withthe gateway, crank arms upon the gate, a swinging lever upon thesupporting post, a latch for holding the gate in open position, latchmechanism for connecting the portions of the gate in closed position,connections between the crank arms and arms of the lever and meansoperated by the lever for automatically controlling the latch devices.

7. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post, a gatecomposed of pivotally connected sections adapted to fold parallel withthe gateway, crank arms upon the gate, a swinging lever upon thesupporting post, elastic connections between said crank arms and thearms of the lever, equalizing means supported by the post and connectedwith the oppositely swinging parts of the gate, latch devices forholding the gate opened and closed, a rod operated by the le ver, astriker operated by the rod for directly controlling one of said latchdevices, and a connection between said striker and the other latchdevice.

8. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post having anadjustable portion, a gate carried by said adjustable portion andcomposed of pivotally connected sections adapted to fold parallel withthe gateway, crank arms upon the gate, a swinging lever upon theadjustable portion of the post, elastic connections between said crankarms and the arms of the lever, and means for adjusting the adjustableportion of the post to raise or lower the gate and its operatingmechanism.

9. In a gate structure, the combination of a supporting post, a gatecomposed of pivotally connected sections adapted to fold parallel. withthe gateway, a swinging lever upon the post, operating connections be-;tween the post and the oppositely swinging parts of the gate, saidconnections including contractible and expansible means, and equalizingconnections between said portions of the gate to effect a regular anduniform trans mission of the power of the lever thereto.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANCIS M. NEFF.

Witnesses PETER IVILLARD PATTERSON, EARL STARNER.

